Hammond says too late to negotiate new Brexit deal

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s Chancellor Philip Hammond said it is a delusion to think that the government will be able to negotiate a new divorce deal with the European Union if the prime minister’s agreement is defeated in a vote in parliament next week.

“The idea of renegotiating at the 11th hour is simply a delusion,” Hammond told parliament. “We need to be honest with ourselves - the alternatives to this deal are no deal or no Brexit. Either will leave us a fractured society and divided nation.”

Reporting By William James. Writing by Andrew MacAskill; editing by Stephen Addison